Dawning of a Rebellion: RiverClan
by OfficerChaurtle
Summary: The Dark Forest, instead of being destroyed in the final battle, has won against StarClan and the forest cats. Tigerstar and his followers have taken hold of the lake territories and thrust their dark ways upon the clans. Blotchkit, born into these times, only knows the ways of these evil cats. But can he, with the help of some others, restore the warrior code?
1. AllegiancesPrologue

The Dawning of a Rebellion: Riverclan

**ALLEGIANCES**

**Thunderclan**

**Leader:**

Thornclaw – Golden brown tabby tom **Dark Forest Warrior**

**Deputy:**

Brackenfur – Golden brown tabby tom

Apprentice: Molepaw

**Warriors:**

Hazeltail – Small gray-and-white she-cat

Foxleap – Redish tabby tom

Rosepetal – Dark cream she-cat

Berrynose – Cream colored tom

**Apprentices:**

Molepaw – Brown-and-cream tom

**Queens:**

Sorreltail- Tortoise-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

(Mother of Lillykit – Dark tabby she-cat with white patches, and Seedkit – Very pale ginger she-cat)

**Elders:**

Mousefur- Small dusky brown she-cat

**Shadowclan**

**Leader:**

Tigerstar – Dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws **Dark Forest Member**

**Deputy:**

Darkstripe – Dark gray tabby tom **Dark Forest Member**

**Warriors:**

Clawface – Brown battle scarred tom **Dark Forest Member**

Antpelt – Brown tom with one black ear** Dark Forest Member**

Silverhawk– Ragged, pale gray tom** Dark Forest Member**

Redwillow – Mottled brown-and-ginger tom **Dark Forest Warrior**

Snowtuft – Small White tom** Dark Forest Member**

Toadfoot – Dark brown tom

Oakfur – Small brown tom

Crowfrost - black-and-white

Olivenose – Tortoiseshell she-cat

Owlclaw - Light brown tabby tom

Shrewfoot – Gray she-cat with white feet

Dawnpelt – cream furred she-cat

Pinenose – Black she-cat

Littlecloud – Small brown tabby tom, former medicine cat

**Queens:**

Kinkfur - tabby she-cat with long fur that sticks out at all angles

(Mother of Stripekit – Dark brown tom with faint stripes, and Sedgekit – Light brown she-cat)

Ivytail – Black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

(Mother of Harekit - Light brown tom, Tinykit – Tortoiseshell and white she-cat, and Wolfkit – Dark brown tom with a black tail and muzzle)

**Elders:**

Cedarheart – Dark gray tom

Tallpoppy – Long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

**Windclan**

**Leader:**

Thistleclaw – Mottled gray-and-white tom **Dark Forest Member**

**Deputy:**

Breezepelt – Black tom with yellow eyes **Dark Forest Warrior**

Apprentice: Larkpaw

**Warriors:**

Harespring – Brown-and-white tom **Dark Forest Warrior**

Whitetail – Small white she-cat

Nightcloud – Black she-cat

Gorsetail – Very pale gray and white tom with blue eyes

Leaftail – Dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Heathertail – Light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Krestrelflight - Mottled brownish-gray tom with white splotches, former medicine cat

**Apprentices:**

Larkpaw – Gray she-cat **Dark Forest Warrior**

**Queens:**

Swallowtail – Dark gray she-cat

(Adopted mother of Snowkit – White she-cat, Whitekit – Strong white tom, and Coldkit – White she-cat that constantly shivers)

**Elders:**

Webfoot - Dark gray tabby tom

**Riverclan**

**Leader:**

Hawkfrost – Dark borwn tabby tom with a white underbelly **Dark Forest Member**

**Deputy:**

Shredtail – Dark brown tabby tom with an injured tail **Dark Forest Member**

**Warriors:**

Mapleshade - Ginger-and-white she-cat **Dark Forest Member**

Sparrowfeather – Small, mottled brown tabby she-cat **Dark Forest Member**

Graymist – Pale gray tabby she-cat

Apprentice: Troutpaw

Mintfur – Light gray tabby tom

Pebblefoot – Mottled gray tom

Apprentice: Rushpaw

Mallownose – Light brown tabby tom

Robinwing - Tortoiseshell-and-white tom

Willowshine - Dark gray tabby she-cat, former medicine cat

**Apprentices:**

Troutpaw – Pale gray tabby she-cat

Rushpaw – Light brown tabby tom

**Queens:**

Duskfur – Brown tabby she-cat

(Mother of Shellkit – Light brown tabby she-cat)

Mosspelt – Tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

(Mother of Blotchkit – Dark brown tabby tom with scattered white patches, Songkit – Pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a clear, sing-songy voice, Larkkit – Light gray tabby she-cat, Darkkit – Light gray tom with dark stripes)

**Elders:**

Dapplenose – Mottled gray she-cat

Pouncetail – Ginger-and-white tom

Prologue

_Screeches filled the unnatural shaped hollow as a battle raged within it. Solid cats fought with shadowy figures, and many of the living lay dead on the ground. There was a dark tabby tom, his amber eyes still open, staring death in the face. Another cat, a light gray she-cat with her ear pricked, lay on the edge of camp, deep cuts running along her body. One by one each living cat got pinned by the shadows, the blood seeping from their wounds making them weak._

_One large tabby shadow, a strong resemblance to the younger one dead on the ground, had pinned a smaller ginger tom, though he was still fighting hard to break free. The tom said _"The Dark Forest has beat the all _mighty_ Thunderclan! Though shown to other clans, we will give you no mercy! This clan shall pay for what they have done! Starting with you,_kittypet" he spat the last word at the tom beneath him, hate glowing in the shadow's amber eyes. Grinning slyly he slowly cut the ginger cat's neck, watching the blood flow out with his life._

"No! Firestar!"_ said a sandy she-cat. Pushing off her enemy she lunged at the shadow, claws outstretched. But the large tom easily pushed her aside, laughing slightly at her desperate attempt to save her mate._

"Cant you see Sandstorm? Its over." _he meowed, a snarl hidden in his voice_

"Its never over Tigerstar. Thunderclan will always fight against you" _Sandstorm spat, struggling to her paws._

_Tigerstar slowly padded up to her, observing her. He easily pushed her to the ground and surveyed her face. _"Sandstorm, how proud you always were. Always loyal to your so called clan, never giving up. Too bad your precious clan will be no more. But I wont make you watch them die. Instead, Ill let them watch you slowly leave them instead" _and with one swift movement, the large tom cut a wound in the she-cat's throat. Only after several minutes of agonized screeching and struggling, the proud warrior finally departed, leaving the rest of ThunderClan shaken._

_Tossing her aside Tigerstar gazed proudly down at his warriors _"Kill all of Firestar's kin. Cloudtail, Leafpool, and all their mates or past mates. Take the young kits and bring them to other clans. Dont hesitate to take other lives if needed" _Tigerstar ordered his followers and padded out of camp, leaving his warriors to do the work._

_About half the shadows jumped off their enemy, but some stayed on top, looking down at their prey. A strong white tom was struggling, trying to get out of a dark tabby's grip. Another cat, white with ginger patches, hissed at the cat on top of her, her already mauled face bloody from new cuts. One by one they stopped moving, a pool of blood surrounding them. Another cat, a tabby she-cat, had regret in her eyes as the life seeped away. She seemed to mouth the word "Crowfeather" before dying, and a life time of memories clouded her eyes. The only remaining struggling cat was a golden tabby tom, who seemed to be unscathed. He threw the tabby cat with cold, blue eyes on top of him and pounced, anger blazing in his eyes._

_Then a small, gray tom rasped _"Lionblaze...dont" _The golden tabby turned his head to the voice, his eyes questioning_

"Its better to not fight...not to hurt our clan more..." _he coughed, small drops of blood escaping his mouth. Lionblaze opened his mouth to protest, but then only nodded, steeping off the cat. Without hesitating, the tabby tom launched himself at the golden tom's neck, biting into it deeply. Lionblaze collapsed, his withering body the only thing moving in the still hollow._

"Nice kill Hawkfrost, he had to surrender before you could beat him" _said a gray-and-white tom, contempt in his eyes_

"I'd like to see you do better Thistleclaw. Now go collect those kits, I heard one was named after your own" _Hawkfrost shot back, kicking the dead body aside. Thistleclaw narrowed his eyes at his fellow warrior, but walked into the nursery, easily pushing aside the queen guarding her kits. Picking up three snow white kits in his jaw and another dark tabby with patches on his back, the tom lumbered out of the nursery, avoiding the eyes of the other shadows. As the Dark Forest cats streamed out of the den, only one sound was emitted from the defeated clan_

"Forestkit! They took my Forestkit!" _an anguished cry came from the nursery._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Blotchkit blinked open his eyes, blinded by the early morning light coming through the nursery wall. Eyes watering, the young kit looked around the den around him. His mother, Mosspelt, was sleeping quietly near him, her tortoiseshell pelt rising and falling peacefully. She was curled around three kits, his siblings. Larkkit and Darkkit, his mother's favorites, were lying next to her muzzle, making Mosspelt's whiskers twitch from their gentle breathes. Blotchkit continued to be shocked by their difference of personalities between being awake and asleep. When their eyes were open, Larkkit and Darkkit were merciless, constantly mocking him for his abnormal markings, dark tabby stripes and large white patches, and his monstrous size, for he towered over his siblings. Asleep though, they looked like the sweet kits his mother saw, seemingly never doing anything wrong. Blotchkit was constantly angered by this.

But then there was Songkit, his favorite sister. Almost the exact polar opposite to Larkkit and Darkkit, Songkit was shy and respectful, always bowing her head to warriors and apprentices and never speaking to anyone but her was also honest and fair, always comforting Blotchkit when Larkkit and Darkkit were especially mean. Blotchkit valued her more than anything, for she was the only one who cared about him. Even his own father Mintfur hated him, though he rarely visited his other kits as well.

Suddenly jerked from his thoughts, Blotchkit spotted Larkkit moving, her blue eyes opening as her pupils dialated against the harsh sun. She yawned, her pink mouth holding thorn sharp teeth that would sometimes bit down on her brother's pelt when she was mad. Catching Blotchkit looking at her she hissed and prodded Darkkit awake, her gray-and-white fur sticking out at all angles. Her brother grumbled something and rolled over, trying to get away from whoever was waking him

"Wake up mouse-brain, the freak is watching us" she hissed in his ear, flashing Blotchkit a look full of hate.

Rolling his eyes Blotchkit climbed quietly out of his nest, a pile of stale moss a few frog-lengths away from the family nest. Once he stopped drinking his mother's milk, Mosspelt made Blotchkit move to his own nest, saying he squirmed too much in his sleep. He and his siblings knew the truth though, Mosspelt couldn't stand him and wanted her abnormal son as far away from her as possible. Sighing at the though, Blotchpaw made his way to the nursery exit.

Carefully stepping over the other kit in the nursery, Shellkit, Blotchkit smiled at her sleeping body. Her light-brown tabby coat seemed to shine in the sun-rays, her sleek pelt a stark difference from his fluffy. Shellkit always told Blotchkit and Songkit about camp, a place they were not allowed to go. She was always so nice to the two, but it was more of an older to younger cat nice, not an actual friendly nice. But soon she wouldn't need to tell him about camp, for Blotchkit started his way back to the opening to camp.

"Where do you think you're going?" a cat hissed, making Blotchkit flinch. Turning around, he saw his mother's cold glare drilling into him.

"I want to see camp. I'm 2 moons old, I think it is time" he meowed, straightening himself up to make him seem older

"_I'll _decide that" Mosspelt meowed, narrowing her eyes slightly. Blotchkit sighed, seeing he had failed again to get his mother to like him. He tried being brave, humble, nice, arrogant, but no matter what his mother hated him. Staring down, defeated, Blotchkit padded back to his nest, being greeted by Songkit who had sneaked over to his sleeping spot.

"I think it's time we get out too" she said quietly, looking at Blotchkit softly.

"You're too small" Mosspelt glanced to Blotchkit "Well, too young" she gently said, her cold stare changing to a loving one as she gazed at Songkit. Blotchkit observed this with a pang, sadness sweeping over him.

"I want to go out to!" Darkkit proclaimed, appearently also awake, his dark tabby flank shooting away from Mosspelt. He stood up high and puffed out his chest, mirroring what Blotchkit had tried moment earlier.

"Yeah Mommy! We don't care what _you_ say! Me and Darkkit are going out no matter what!" Larkkit meowed rudely, pushing herself out of her mother's grasp and racing past Darkkit, flicking her tail for him to follow. Without a second thought he followed, and soon the two had disappeared to the outside world.

Mosspelt purred, disregarding her daughter's lack of respect, as always. "Mom, can we go out too?" Blotchkit piped up, wanting to show his mother that he was able to follow orders, like all the great warriors.

She flinched, probably at the word 'Mom'. Slowly looking to Blotchkit, he searched her gaze, not surprised to find dislike in them "Of course you can, your beautiful siblings are out there, why can't _you_? I'm not unfair" she meowed.

Did Blotchkit hear a snarl in her voice? It doesn't matter _I get to go out!_ He thought in his head "Come on Songkit! We get to see camp!" he meowed excitedly, racing out of the nursery.

Too excited to watch where he was going, Blotchkit tripped over Shellkit, who was surprisingly still asleep. "Ow!" she squeaked her eye's leaping open, shock, but no pain, in them. Jumping to her paws, the pretty she-cat looked around wildly to see who had seemingly attacked her.

"Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, I was too excited that I finally get to see camp! Finally! I can't wait to see it! I bet it's going to be great! The wind that blows in always smells great! I mean, it's not like the nursery doesn't smell good, because you're in here, but the outside smells good too!" Blotchpaw babbled, his ear growing hot as he realized what he had recently said. Quickly looking down at his paws, he shuffled them as he waited for Shellpaw to scold him.

Instead she smiled "I remember my first time out of camp. Would you like me to show you around?" Shellkit purred.

Blotchkit was about to answer when Songkit stumbled up, her little legs more unsure than her brother's sturdy ones "No! We want to explore on our own!" she answered, energy shinning in her eyes.

"Ok, but make sure you don't barge into the warrior's den, or your tail might be dinner tonight" she meowed, trying to make a joke, but no amusement was in her voice.

It was true, to a point. An older apprentice now had once wandered into the warrior's den when she was just a kit. Waking up Mapleshade, the Dark Forest cat gave the little kit a scar, from head to tail. When the kits heard this story, Larkkit and Darkkit loved it, wanting to know every gruesome detail, while Songkit buried herself into Blotchkit.

"We won't" he meowed solemnly, and the prospect of seeing the camp was suddenly scary rather than fun. "Let's go Songkit." He mewed and cautiously padded out of the nursery and to his home.


	3. Chapter 2

Harsh sunlight welcomed Blotchkit as he entered camp, its bright light stronger than any other the kit had experienced. Eyes stinging, he slowly adapted to the sun, and soon Blotchkit was looking around his camp with awe. All around him towered reed dens, not unlike the nursery, that surrounded the circular clearing, s strong scent of cat coming from each one. Tall, healthy vegetation outlined the camp, providing a barrier between any unwanted animal, though almost no defense against the sun. In the middle of the hard-packed clearing stood a high pile of fish, their scales gleaming into Blotchkit's eyes.

"It's so bright" Songkit complained, ducking her head against the sun. Nodding his head in agreement, Blotchkit sneezed, the new smells overwhelming his untrained nose. Getting a small headache from the scents, the young tom tried to block his nose, unhappy to realize the smells also could be sensed in his mouth.

"And really…smelly too" Blotchkit growled, faltering for a moment to try and find the right word.

"Aw, are the little babies having trouble adjusting to the real world? Do they need to run back to Mommy?" A voice taunted somewhere to their right.

Swinging his head, Blotchkit made out the small shapes of Darkkit and Larkkit, their heads ducked slightly. "Is the real world too strong for you?" Darkkit taunted again, though Blotchkit could see he was blinking profusely, still adjusting to the bright rays.

"Yeah, run back to Mommy little kits. Maybe you can come out _next_ moon" Larkkit sneered, raising her head after the sun had stopped bothering her eyes. Opening her mouth to let another insult slip out, Larkkit was quickly interrupted by a large fit of sneezing that had taken hold of her. "The…scents too….strong…for you?" she gasped, her sneer seeming less harsh as she let out small coughs in between the words.

"Maybe _you_ should go back into the nursery, where the smells can't hurt you" Blotchkit mewed, forcing down a tickle in his throat. _Don't sneeze, don't sneeze_ he told himself, knowing Larkkit would never let him hear the end of it.

"Shut it," Larkkit snarled after she had gotten over her coughing fit, scowling. Suddenly smiling smugly, she casually added, like it was a word they used every day, "fox-dung".

Songkit gasped and Blotchkit winced. Mosspelt has specifically told them to never, _ever,_ use that word. On one of the rare visits Mintfur paid them, he had accidently let that and a few more swears out when he tripped on Blotchkit. In return he got a nasty claw mark across his face and a ticket right out of the den.

"Larkkit, you know we aren't supposed to say that" Songkit whispered, visibly shaken by her sister's mouth.

"I can say whatever I want! I'm as big and strong as a warrior!" Larkkit boasted before being sent into another bout of sneezing.

Unable to hold back a snicker, Blotchkit rolled his eyes over to Songkit, who was trying to suppress a smile.

"Yeah, we can say whatever we want! Like how Blotchkit is a dirty mange pelt!" Darkkit added on, using another forbidden phrase to defend his sister.

Songkit suddenly became solemn again, and Blotchkit shrunk back as the insult. Though it was just as bad as 'fox-dung', the jab was at his looks, which he was very insecure about.

"Oh? Is the little baby afraid of words? Run back to your mommy you pile of mouse droppings, because you'll _never_ be a great warrior" Larkkit had recovered from her attack and spit the words at Blotchkit before stalking away, Darkkit on her tail.

"Don't listen to them; all they want to do is bring you down" Songkit murmured as soon as they were out of sight, pressing up against Blotchkit for comfort. Whenever Larkkit and Darkkit did this, she would always try and make him feel better, but always behind their backs. Once she did it in front of their faces, and they mocked Songkit for days.

Blotchkit took a deep breath, calming his nerves. "It's fine Songkit, let's just go explore." He meowed, walking in the opposite direction his siblings walked.

They skimmed the edge of the reed wall, briefly glancing through the barrier to see a small river encircling the camp. Coming across a den Blotchkit signaled Songkit to pause, just in case this was a warrior's den. Sniffing the air carefully, he caught a very stale scent of plants, some pungent, others bland. But there was no detectable cat scent, so it seemed safe.

"Let's go in, I think it's safe" Blotchkit whispered and cautiously padded into the tightly woven reed cave.

There were two nests within the den, spotted with crusty red patches. _Blood_ Blotchkit realized, recognizing the scent. Every so often, an apprentice would come back to camp drenched in it after training with a Dark Forest warrior. Everytime that happened, Songkit and him would hide away in the nursery while Larkkit and Darkkit went to go ask the Dark Forest warrior about the details. Shivering, Blotchkit looked past the dens where piles of what seemed like leaves layed, most brittle and old.

"Blotchkit, what's this?" Songkit mewed, her voice echoing slightly in the empty den. Blotchkit turned around, and found what Songkit was asking about. It was a green leaf, looking like it was freshly picked, with small little spikes covering it.

"I don't know…." Blotchkit meowed, padding up to it. He sniffed the strange leaf, it smelled life the forest, a faint scent Blotchkit caught on his father.

"Do you think it's safe to eat?" Songkit asked, staring at it intently. Not waiting for answer she licked it tentatively, smacking her lips a little to bring out the taste. "It's not too bad, a little bitter, but that's because it's dried up."

Then she took a small bite, chewing slowly, taking in the flavor. Swallowing, Blotchkit watched as his sister took another bite, pushing the leaf to him. "Try it" she mumbled through a mouthful of the strange leaf.

Not wanting to look like a frog-heart, Blotchkit took a little bite, cautious of the different plant. It was bitter, and the little spikes made the leaf hard to swallow, but after you got past that, the leaf wasn't half bad. Right before Blotchkit was about to take another bite a voice startled him.

"What are you doing?" said the cat, her silhouette standing at the mouth of den. Quickly Songkit and Blotchkit scrambled away from the foreign plant, trying to seem stanger padded up to them, and as her features came into focus Blotchkit realized it was just Willowshine. The young kit vaguely remembered her, she came and check up on Mosspelt every once and a while after she gave birth, feeding her strange things.

He also remembered some Dark Forest warriors talking about her, their voices easily sliding into the nursery. She was said to be a believer of the long dead StarClan, and a traitor to the clans. The only reason she wasn't killed by the Dark Forest is because she was the only one who knew how to heal sick cats.

"I asked," Willowshine said again, her voice gentle, yet firm "What are you doing?"

"N-nothing" Songkit stuttered out, her body visibly shaking. Blotchkit felt a pang for his sister, knowing that most cats made her nervous and scared. And even though Willowshine meant no harm, probably, Songkit still worried.

"It doesn't look like nothing; it looks like you were eating a raspberry leaf. You're lucky it wasn't a dangerous plant or you both would be regretting you were ever born." Willowshine gently scolded them, brushing past the two like she was better than them and picking up the leaf.

_It's not her job to tell us what not to do! She is a traitor!_ Blotchkit though defiantly. "Well maybe cats shouldn't leave around strange plants for kits to eat" he shot back, hoping that a Dark Forest warrior would be nearby to see his bravery.

"And maybe kits shouldn't eat herbs unknown to them" She said gently, dropping the leaf remains in a small pile of herbs.

Looking down at the two, her gaze lingered on them both before meowing "I'm guessing it's your first time out, so let me show you around." And with that Willowshine bounded out of the den, leaving Blotchkit no choice but to follow. Besides, if he didn't, she might punish him.

Sighing, he stepped back into the blinding light and followed the long shadow of Willowshine. This time though, his eyes adjusted faster and Blotchkit looked up just in time to arrive at the first reed den, dried honeysuckle stems woven into the pattern.

"This is the elders den, where Dapplenose and Pouncetail stay" Willowshine informed them, her tone suggesting the two were complete fish-heads "If you want to hear a good story, this is where you want to go."

"And if we want you to stop talking to us like this, where do we go?" Blotchkit asked in the same tone, pushing back his guilt he felt with each jab. _She doesn't deserve respect. She believes in StarClan, the Dark Forest's worst enemy._

Ignoring his comments, Willowshine continued to show the kits around camp, her voice quickly turning into a loud hum in the back of Blotchkit's mind. He was too busy looking out for Larkkit and Darkkit, hoping his two cruel siblings wouldn't catch him being shown around their own home.

"Blotchkit I'm getting bored, can we sneak away or something?" Songkit whispered, her tail swishing impatiently.

"Yeah let's go. I don't want Larkkit and Darkkit seeing us with…her" he meowed, throwing a bit of contempt into his voice.

Searching his surroundings, the young kit spotted a pile of boulders right under the HighRock. Flicking his tail towards the rocks, the two kits quickly and quietly scampered to them. Rounding the corner, a large mouth to a cave presented itself. Without a second thought, Blotchkit raced inside, Songpaw hot on his heels.

"I think we lost her" Blotchkit said quietly after a few moments, peaking around the side of the cave.

"Lost who exactly?" a deep voice meowed behind them, making the two kits jump. A dark tabby tom with icy blue eyes padded out from a dark corner of the den, along with another tabby with an injured tail.

"Umm….Willow…Willowshine" Songkit stammered out, her body shaking again at the sight of the two complete strangers.

Nodding his head profusely, Blotchkit looked up at the two large warriors, taking in their features. Shocked, the young kit found he could see right through them and into the dark depths of the cave. _They must be Dark Forest warriors!_ He determined, quickly hiding his tail between his legs in case they decided to rip it off.

Instead the cat with icy blue eyes grimaced "You have good senses traitorous and weak cats like Willowshine. The fool still believes in the Deadpelts, or what your parents may call StarClan" he meowed, seeing the confused looks on the kit's faces at the new word.

Songkit and Blotchkit simply nodded, not wanting to upset the two strong cats.

"What is so bad about Sta- Deadpelts" Songkit asked quietly after a few moments of silence.

"Deadpelts" the warrior with the injured tail sneered, finally speaking. "They thought they were better than us Dark Forest warriors, kicking us out of their 'heavenly' home for the dead and pushing us into a dead forest" he growled, unsheathing his claws. Even transparent the warrior's claws gleamed in the sunlight streaming into the den, making Blotchkit shiver.

"Calm yourself Shreadtail. The Deadpelts are long gone now." He purred, though there was no humor in his voice. "As you may or may not know, only a moon ago did we defeat those weak cats along with the malicious ThunderClan" the blue-eyed tom added, looking towards the kits.

"Oh, we know about ThunderClan! Weren't they the clan who was said to be brave and strong, but really were plotting to kill all the other clans and the Dark Forest?" Songkit piped, recalling a story Mosspelt told them.

"That is correct, puny kit. Now, if you don't mind, please go run along. Hawkfrost, your leader, and I must talk of important business" Shreadtail hissed, taking a step towards the two.

Freezing his terror, Blotchkit looked in shock as the Dark Forest cat took another step towards his sister. Snapping into action, he quietly growled "Let's go Songkit" before picking her up by her scruff and bounding out of the den.

"Remind me not to step on Shreadtail's ugly end" Songkit whispered, humor and fear lanced in her mew.


	4. Chapter 3

_"Two she-cats and..."_

_"And what?"_

_"Well there is a tom, but he is very sickly. He has a weak heart beat, and he is undersized. I don't know if he will make it"_

_"He is my son, of course he will make it"_

_"Lets pray to StarClan he does"_

_"If StarClan is even alive anymore, that is"_

_"StarClan will always be alive, either in spirit form or in our hearts"_

_"Please, we all know the Dark Forerst purged any cats who believed in StarClan. They even made all the clans call them 'Deadpelts'"_

_"Will you two stop your bickering? Im already exhausted and you arent helping"_

_"Of course my dear"_

_"New queens, always so cranky"_

_"Maybe because we just pushed large beings out of our insides. Now help me name the kits"_

_"We already decided on she-cat names, but what about the tom?"_

_"I don't think it is worth naming him. It will just attach you to him more, giving you more pain when he dies"_

_"He isn't going to die, and don't tell me what to do with my own kits"_

_"How about Forestkit?"_

_"I love it."_

_" Fitting. He will need the strength of the entire forest to survive."_

* * *

"Blotchkit, your time has come to die" said a deep voice, startling the tom out of his peculiar dream.

"Who...wh...what?" Blotchkit muttered groggily, hearing but not taking in the meaning of the words recently spoken. Lifting his head, the large kit tried to open his eyes, but his head was quickly shoved back down into his nest by the intruder.

"Don't look at me" said the cat, his meow sounding raspy and forced.

Keeping still Blotchkit tried to figure out what was going on. From what he could tell by touch and smell, he was still in the RiverClan nursery, which means this person had to be part of the clan, for no cat could get past the camp walls without being killed. Searching his memory, the tom tried to name the voice. Suddenly he remembered two moons back when he and Songkit met the RiverClan deputy, Shredtail. The voice almost matched perfectly.

"Please don't hurt me Shredtail" Blotchkit whimpered, flattening his ears against his head.

A sharp pain exploded in his side, quickly followed by a blow slicing his nose. Blotchkit flinched, but didn't cry out. If Shredtail was going to spare him, he did not want to be remembered as being weak. As he endured the attacks, the young kit wondered in the back of his mind why attacks from a fully grown, powerful warrior weren't harder.

"Larkkit, Darkkit what are you doing!?" a voice screeched, cutting off the hits almost instantly. Taking the moment, Blotchkit jumped away, opening his eyes to see his two siblings facing Mosspelt, their backs to him.

"What were you doing?" she repeated, padding over to the two, fur slightly bristled.

"We were just playing!" Larkkit said, hanging her head in shame. Darkkit did the same, his tail tucked between his legs. _Liars_ Blotchkit hissed in his head

Mosspelt eyed the two, then looked to Blotchkit whose wounds were trickling with blood. "Well if you were just playing, then that is fine. But next time, sheathe your claws." his mother said gently, shocking Blotchkit.

"We will next time mother. We are sorry" Larkkit mewed, shyly raising her head. Darkkit still held his tongue, nodding in agreement with his sister.

Mosspelt nodded and exited the den, leaving the three alone.

"Yeah, next time we'll just suffocate you" Darkkit snarled, a wide smirk spreading over his face when he thought the coast was clear.

"You're lucky mother came, or you'd be dead frog-meat" Larkkit hissed, unsheathing her slightly bloody claws.

"You two dont scare me" Blotchkit hissed, unsheathing his own claws and bearing his teeth.

"Oh yeah? 'Please don't hurt me Shredtail. Im just a huge baby!'" Larkkit taunted, shrinking herself down as if to mock her brother.

Pelt burning, Blotchkit was just about to spit out a remark when Songkit busted into the den, a wide grin on her face. It soon fell though when she caught sight of her bloodied brother. "What happened to you?" she cried, racing over to him.

"He fell in a thorn bush and got attacked by cat-hungry birds" Darkkit meowed, sarcasm dripping from his meow.

"Our two _dear_ siblings attacked me, claiming they were just playing" Blotchkit hissed, eyeing the two kits across the den from him.

"I swear, sometimes those two are worse than StarClan themselves. I mean, we _are_ kin." Songkit whispered, licking Blotchkits wounds in between her words.

"It's called Deadpelt frog-brain" she hissed, overhearing Songkit "And no matter what anyone says, you are _not_ my kin"

Songkit looked at her sister, a spark of hate in her eyes. Blotchkit was slightly shocked at this, knowing Songkit was usually sweet and forgiving. Songkit growled as she unsheathed her claws, her shoulder fur rising.

"Oh, trying to be a big strong warrior?" Larkkit sneared, a smirk forming on her face "Darkkit this is classic, its the helpless baby fur ball trying to be strong."

Darkkit laughed, an evil glint in his eyes "Songkit don't even try. Everyone in the clan knows you are a coward, so it's too late to try and be brave now you frog-dung smelling fish-heart" he spat, leaving the den with Larkkit, tails high.

Songkit's eyes started to water, and she collapsed on the floor in a pile of tears. "Its true!" she sobbed, burying her head in Blotchkit's nest. Crouching down next to her, he stroked her with his tail while trying to clean his wounds.

"Don't listen to what Larkkit says; she has no heart or soul. Just remember that I'm always here for you" he mewed, after he stopped bleeding. Gently licking her head, Blotchkit drifted off into a fantasy where Larkkit and Darkkit died gruesome deaths over and over again.

After a long stretch of sniffling and sighing, Songkit lifted her head, her nose still running and eyes still slightly wet. "Im okay now...I think" she said weakly, smiling at Blotchkit.

He grinned back, pushing the malicious thoughts about his other siblings out of his mind. "The wrath of Larkkit and Darkkit is hard to stand against, so dont beat yourself up about what they said." he said, knowing Songkit wasn't used to their siblings being flat out cruel to her.

"I don't know how you stand that everyday..." she mewed, drifting off into though for a moment "How do you deal with it?"

He sighed "I don't know Songkit, you'd think by now I would have given up" then he thought for a moment, "It's because I have you" he smiled, looking fondly down to his sister "You give me a reason to move on through the days, because you're the only person who cares about me. If I died, I would never forgive myself for leaving you"

She grinned sheepishly, and then frowned again, this time her face showing fear "And also you'd get scourged if you did die"

Blotchkit shivered, remembering what happened to the useless souls of dead cats. Many cats die all the time, and their soul goes to the Dar Forest, as it should. But there is only so many cats needed to be dead, so the unneeded souls are taken to Shadowclan camp, the Dark Forest stronghold. There the soul's energy is harnessed and given to another weaker soul. Some say it goes to Tigerstar, who is slowly fading away, and some say the most loyal cat's take the energy, making them an unstoppable fighter. But most believe that it is given to the weak soul of Scourge, which appeared in the Dark Forest no more than a wisp some moons ago. And once he is back to full energy, he will truly show the forest what it means to be strong.

"Lets not think about that" Blotchkit mewed, suppressing a drop of fear that tried to inch it's way into his voice. Searching for something to talk about, he remembered back when Songkit first came into the den "So what were you so happy about when you walked in?"

Songkit was silent for a moment, either trying to remember her reason or still getting over the dark thought of scourging. "Oh," she suddenly meowed "I wanted to tell you that Shellkit was becoming an apprentice"

Blotchkit smiled, realizing that his den-mate was six moons old "She is already six moons isn't she? It seems like just yesterday we were two moons, and just exploring camp for the first time" he purred

"And two think, it was a whole two moons ago" Songkit added, memories clouding her vision.

"Maybe we can go talk to Shellkit befo-" Blotchkit suddenly got cut off by a yowl

"Let all cats strong enough to kill their own enemy gather beneath the Highstone to hear what I have to say!" Hawkfrost called, as if on cue.

"A little too late for that" Songkit purred, scampering to the center of camp where the clan was gathering.

Blotchkit trailed behind, the pain of his wounds catching up to him. Sitting next to Songkit who got a place in the front of the crowd, the tom caught sight at the freshly groomed Shellkit, his heart leaping into his throat a little. A moon ago Blotchkit realized he had a small crush on the older she-cat, and around the same time he found out that Darkkit also liked her a bit as well. He told himself that Shellkit would never go for a heartless monster like his brother, and since then he tried to get closer to the nice feline.

"This kit has reached the age of six moons, and she is ready to learn the ways of the all mighty Dark Forest." Hawkfrost said, standing on top of the Highstone, "Until you get your warrior name, you shall be known as Shellpaw. Robinwing, you are at the moment useless and a weak point in the clan, maybe if you train a future warrior you could amount to something" he meowed, snarling the last sentence.

Blotchkit glanced at Robinwing, a flash of sympathy for her taking him over for a moment. _Don't be a mouse-brain; she doesn't deserve pity_ he scolded himself. But he couldn't help then remembering that Larkkit and Darkkit probably thought that way about him. _She may not deserve pity, but she is in the same situation as me, and I can't help but feel connected to her_ he thought.

The clan dispersed silently, not cheering for the newly made apprentice, which was normal. Whenever a kit got a weak mentor, nobody wanted to celebrate it. Still, Blotchkit padded up to the now Shellpaw "Congratulations" he murmured quietly, trying not to make it sound like he was happy for her.

"Thank you" she breathed, her sea green eyes meeting his for an instant before he looked away. "I should probably go talk to Robinwing" she meowed and padded away, leaving Blotchkit before he could reply. _Too eager Blotchkit_ he told himself.

* * *

As the sun started to set over the RiverClan camp, Blotchkit threw the moss ball back to Songkit, sending it sailing over her head. But she jumped to the air and caught it, getting a yowl of congratulation from her brother.

"Hey, I finally caught it!" she squealed, batting the ball back into the air over herself.

"I saw! It was great" he called back, smiling for his sister.

A small movement behind Songkit caught his eyes, and Blotchkit spotted two masses near the reed wall of camp. They were small and moving slowly, stopping every once in a while as if casually walking. _Larkkit and Darkkit_ he realized, catching a glint of blue and amber as their eyes caught in the setting sun rays.

"Blotchkit, are you going to throw it back?" Songkit called over, padding up to him as she said it.

"Shhh" Blotchkit whispered, holding his tail up in a quiet command. Watching the two cats, he gasped as one of them dived through the vegetated wall, escaping the camp.

"Is that Larkkit and Darkkit?" Songkit asked, following her brother's gaze to the dark corner of camp as the other mass dove into the wilderness

"Yeah, I'm going to follow them, if I'm not back by moon high send out a patrol to find us" he whispered, crouching down. This may be his only chance to show his mother, and the clan, that he was worth something. Quickly bounding over to where his siblings dissappeared he gave Songkit a quick nod before entering the unknown.


	5. Chapter 4

Harsh, blinding sunlight coming from the slowly setting sun. Murky, muddy ground underfoot making sickening squelching sounds. Bitter, yet fresh scents pounding on Blotchkit's horribly under trained nose. A constant roar from a far away river smashing into explosions of sounds as animals let out their calls. It was all overwhelming, too overwhelming for Blotchkit. He staggered backwards, wanting nothing more than to go back into camp. He had heard about some newly made apprentices having trouble adjusting to the outside world, but nothing sounded as livid as this. It took many minutes for Blotchkit to finally get used to the intensity of the outside world before he could act functionally. Then in replacement of his shock came panic, the wonder if he could even survive out here. _You have to get Larkkit and Darkkit _he told himself forcefully, trying to strengthen his will. Gathering his nerves, the kit sniffed the air, wincing as all the scents rushed and banged around in his nose. Another sniff, and it wasn't as bad.

_You can do this_ Blotchkit told himself, and inhaled. Sorting through the mess to smells, the RiverClan kit finally distinguished the musky scents of Larkkit and Darkkit. Quickly padding forwards, Blotchkit felt a spark of pride that he was able to handle the challenge of the world on his own. _If you can handle it, why cant Larkkit and Darkkit? Why are you coming after them? _said a small voice in his head. Blotchkit paused, dwelling on the though for a moment. Why is he going after them? Even if they got into trouble, they would deserve it for everything they did to him.

_You are going because you are not like them_ said another voice within him. It was true. While his two siblings acted like they were from the Dark Forest themselves, Blotchkit realized he had more... weak compassion. The type that Deadpelt believers held. _But you are still strong_ said the same voice _Just a different kind of strong__._ Resolving that was the reason, Blotchkit thrust the thought out of his mind, not letting it distract him for any longer, and continued, sniffing the air every now and then to make sure he was still following the scent trail._  
_

Soon the stench of his siblings began getting stronger, as if they were slowing their pace. In response Blotchkit sped up, anxious to find them quickly and take them home. The moon was on the rise, and Songkit was probably getting worried about the three of them. Moving to a light run, the RiverClan kit started to approached a towering hill. Suddenly a screech split through the air, sending tremors into Blotchkit's bones and making him falter in his step. Another yell intruded the air quickly after, and Blotchkit quickly realized who they were coming from. _Larkkit and Darkkit!_

Racing up the hill, Blotchkit fell into a state of panic, stumbling and falling on his own paws multiple times before he made it to the crest, breathing heavily. His heart was pounding in his ears, and the small tom thought he would black out with all the adrenline rushing through his body. _Calm down Blotchkit, be smart_ said a soothing voice, the same one who helped him resolve to continue away from camp. Nodding to the voice, he started to check over himself, a flash of dismay appearing when he realized his wounds, the same ones given from the cats he might be trying to save, re-opened. Feeling a thing stream of blood drip down his side, Blotchkit swung his head to asses the damage when another shriek shattered through the air.

"Blotchkit! Blotchkit help!"

Snapping back to attention Blotchkit gazed down the hill to see a terror unfold before his eyes. At the base of the hill there were two small figures, Larkkit and Darkkit, crouching down in fear and visibly trembling, stealing panicked glances up at Blotchkit every few seconds. Seeing his two heartless siblings like this, actually fearing something, Blotchkit coulnd't help but think to run away before he laid eyes upon what made them like this.

_Remember, you are strong, a different kind from them. You can deal with what they can't._

Still Blotchkit started to turn away, ears flattened against his head and tail between his legs. But before dashing off, he stole a glance at the monster straight from the Deadpelts themselves.

It was a large, red-furred animal with a long, slim body, ribs poking out from it's sides. And un-groomed tail ended with a jagged, mauled tip, the horrid looking thing swinging in the air in excitement. On it's other end it's head ended in a pointed muzzle with a wet, cracked nose capping it off. Sharp, gleaming teeth filled the thing's mouth, saliva dripping from it's maw to the ground. It's black, malicious eyes burned into his siblings, vicious hunger extremely evident within them.

_Fox!_ Blotchkit realized, remembering the description from a warrior patrol that had driven one out days ago. It must have come back though, hoping to find prey like it had before in RiverClan's territory. And now Blotchkit's siblings were about to be it's next meal.

The fox lunged towards Darkkit, jaws snapping against his back. Blotchkit was shocked at it's speed. It was faster than any warrior he had even seen, and it seemed to hold the same power. As the fox's teeth sank into his sibling's back Darkkit screeched in pain, flailing desperately to get away from the monster. The animal shook Darkkit violently, stunning him into being limp. Throwing him roughly to the ground, the fox advanced to Larkkit who was staring in horror at her brother.

"Larkkit! Move! Help Darkkit!" yelled Blotchkit, feeling helpless as he watched the fox pick off his siblings. He was too much of a coward to go down and try to save his kin, but he hoped he could at least help Larkkit save them both.

To his relief, his sister snapped out of her own thoughts on her brother and started to run. But the relief was quickly blasted when he saw that she ran _away_ from the fox, leaving her dear brother to save her own selfish body. Watching in dismay as Larkkit disappeared behind a hill, the fox decided it was no use chasing the escaping prey. Instead, he turned to Darkkit, who was groggily getting to his paws.

_Darkkit is going to die without some help!_ the voice screeched in his head, sending Blotchkit's thoughts of fear spinning.

As if the voice was controlling him, Blotchkit yowled at the top of his lungs and raced towards the fox,tripping and tumbling down the hill half-way down. Scrambling to his paw Blotchkit tried to think of a plan of action, but could not conceive one. So he went to his second choice: instincts. Turning off his mind, Blotchkit threw himself at the fox, grappling himself to the monster's side flank. Catching the animal by surprise it staggered back, taking his hungry eyes off Darkkit and turning them towards his attacker, a glint of hate now in them.

Darkkit by this time had pushed himself to his paws and was looking around as if he was in some sort of haze in which something but him existed. Scrambling up the fox's side, Blotchkit removed himself from biting range for a moment.

"Darkkit! Come help me! I can't do this alone!" Blotchkit pleaded to his brother, digging his claws into the now bucking fox.

Alarmingly, instead of coming to help his brother, Darkkit looked past him to where Larkkit disappeared, taking sudden interest in whatever was there. _It must be Larkkit, coming to help!_ Blotchkit thought in relief, gritting his teeth in tension as his muscles started to burn. Turning his head, Blotchkit did see his sister in view but she wasnt moving. Instead it seemed she was beckoning Darkkit with her tail, telling him to leave Blotchkit to die. Blotchkit then turned back to Darkkit to see him looking at his brother with a sickly humorous glint in his eyes before racing off, away from the fox, and to Larkkit.

Letting out a panic stricken wail, Blotchkit weakened his grip and was immediately thrown off the attack beast, all the breathe in his lungs escaping. The RiverClan kit's legs were numb and weak, his wounds on fire, and lungs desperately trying to get oxygen back into them. He could hear the fox breathing heavily, it's thunderous feet still as it tried to regain even breathing.

Squeaking out a sound of fear, Blotchkit tried to drag himself behind a near by rock, but neither his front nor back legs would cooperate. But he did manage to get the fox's attention again, for the monster's head slowly turned to the kit, a triumphant snarl spreading across his face. His eyes held a certain joy, probably ecstatic to get such and easy meal, and one bigger than the last two he had just lost. As the monster advanced hungrily, Blotchkit closed his eyes, not wanting to see his impeding death.

_Well, good bye Songkit, I'm sorry couldn't grow up with you _he thought sadly, and then the blows started to rain down on him. First on his left flank, then on his face, their force many times harder than when he got attacked by his siblings that morning. But instead of holding back his screeches of pain, Blotchkit wailed at the top of his lungs, hoping all of the Dark Forest could hear him, hoping they would be sorry for what they had done to him.

The blows then started to relent, and Blotchkit knew the fox about about to deal the killing blow. He tensed his muscles and pictured Songkit, hoping her comforting face would make death less painful. The moments seemed to stretch on, the fox seemingly wanting to make him suffer from his wounds before killing him, for it was only snarling and yelping at his meal.

The monsters sounds then started to relent, and it became silent, as if the fox had been killed. Peaking open his eyes, Blotchkit stared in shock as he saw Hawkfrost standing over the carcass of the fox, blood seeping from the red-furred animal's neck.

_Hawkfrost just saved my life!_

"T-Thank you" Blotchkit stuttered, scrambling to his paws, suddenly becoming dizzy from the effort. Collapsing back onto the ground, Blotchkit looked to his leader, who's mouth was opened to respond.

"Wow Hawkfrost that was amazing!" another voice yowled, behind and above the two of them, cutting off the Dark Forest cat's response. Craning his damaged head around, Blotchkit looked up dumbfounded at his siblings came racing down the hill, their pelt groomed as if they were never here.

"Where you there the whole time?" Blotchkit asked, rage building up within at the thought of the two sharing tongues as they watched their brother be killed.

"Yeah, mouse-brain. We were watching you failing horrible against that fox. Call that fighting? More like flailing" Darkkit laughed, getting a rare snicker out of Larkkit. Larkkit, like many other self-absorbent, spoiled cats, only thought her own jokes could be funny, and therefore only laughing at her own humor.

"Why didn't you help me?" he hissed, ignoring the jab at his fighting skills, or rather his 'flailing' skills.

"Because we wanted to see a warrior take it down" Larkkit mewed, lifting her gazing up to Hawkfrost. Her eyes were wide and a bit starry, like she was seeing Tigerstar himself. "That was amazing Hawkfrost, you're so strong, I want to be like you some day" she said, flattery spilling form her sentence. Darkkit nodded, his immense head bobbing making him look like a one moon old kit. Larkkit continued to stare up at Hawkfrost, her eyes glazed over like she was in a trance.

_What has gotten into her?_ Blotchkit thought, noticing his sister's highly unusual behavior. He then realized she was probably standing in front of her idol, infact every kit's idol, and just wanted to impress him. Blotchkit then snorted at the thought, seeing it unlikely that Larkkit wanted to impress anyone but herself.

Hawkfrost gave his sister a smile, not his usual chilled one, but one with warmth, like Larkkit just paid him the highest compliment. Disbelief started to wedge it's way into Blotchkit's mind, but he thrust it out, deciding he must have missed something between the two before. He did though start to feel uncomfortable with silence that had fallen between the four cats, so he cleared his throat, trying to seem inconspicuous.

"Now," Hawkfrost mewed, snapping back to attention, returning his eyes back to their usual cold stare. "What were you three thinking, sneaking out of camp" Blotchkit smirked, opening his mouth to spill out the truth about his siblings, only to be cut off by Darkkit.

"It was all Blotchkit's fault! He _forced_ us to leave camp, saying he would _kill_ us if we didn't leave" Darkkit wailed, spewing out lies like the blood that flowed from Blotchkit's wounds. "And when he smelled the fox, he made us go after it, only to rush in an _act _like the hero!" When Hawkfrost looked at Darkkit with disbelief, his brother then burst into fake tears, babbling about how unfair it was that Blotchkit always got special treatment.

Hawkfrost then looked over to Larkkit, speaking gently "Is this what you experienced?"

"Yeah, it's true Hawkfrost." Larkkit meowed, flashing a look of triumph at Blotchkit. Unfortunately, Hawkfrost caught the glance, and snorted quietly at the tale.

"Dont you believe me?" Larkkit whispered

Hawkfrost face suddenly melted, acting as if Larkkit was his own daughter "Of course I do Larkkit" he purred, all the distrust flying away from the RiverClan leader and streaming into Blotchkit.

Blotchkit felt sick, his faith in his leader shaking as he so readily believed the obvious lie "It isn't true Hawkfrost! I went out to try and bring them _back_ into camp, and tried to save them from the fox _they_ found!" he wailed, knowing that the Dark Forest leader wouldnt believe him.

"Blotchkit, don't try to lie to me. You put your brother and fragile sister in danger, have you no heart?" he hissed, his icy eyes beating into the small kit's pelt

"Hey, I'm not fragile!" Larkkit squeaked, but her eyes gleamed in evil satisfaction, hungry to see what would happen to her brother

"Of course not, but your brother still shouldn't have given you this memory. And for your actions Blotchkit, you must act as Darkkit's and Larkkit's servant until you are an apprentice. And if I hear about you making anymore death threats to your siblings, then I will add another moon to your punishment." He meowed forcefully, giving Blotchkit a hard knock to the head as reinforcement.

"Yes Hawkfrost" he murmured dejectedly, hanging his head to hide the pain and anger in his eyes. _Gee, wonder how much Larkkit and Darkkit are going to use this punishment_ he thought to himself, dreading the next two moons

"Come on you two, let's get you back to camp; you're probably pretty shaken up" Hawkfrost meowed, turning his back on Blotchkit and padding back in the direction of camp. Darkkit flashed him a smug smile and followed Hawkfrost, while Larkkit just floated after his brother, a dreamy look on her face.

"Maybe it would have been better if I died" he muttered under his breath, trailing behind the three up ahead. Wanting to take his time to follow his siblings now, Blotchkit looked around at his surroundings, taking in all the details he had no noticed before. Even in the moonshine all the vegetation seemed warm, green and inviting as it would in the newleaf rays. Everything had brilliant shades of bright colors, especially the grass below him. Looking down to marvel it's beauty, Blotchkit found dark red stains dripping down to the ground, his wounds bleeding onto it's natural beauty. Dizziness started to kick in, and Blotchkit's legs started to feel weak.

_I wonder if they will let me take a nap before I have to serve them_ he thought, trudging back to his home, the nature around him loosing it's shine


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello my readers, and welcome to Dawning of a Rebellion: RiverClan! (Yes I know its Chapter 5, but just roll with it) If you may or may not have known, this story has been on hold due to the lack of finger usage I had (broke many of my fingers in a door). But I am proud to say I am healed, and ready to keep moving with this story. I'd like to thank Nikonkey for asking (*cough* demanding *cough*) for me to continue this story. It's nice to know someone really likes it :) Hopefully I can pump out chapters more often than I did before. But anyways, lets finally get to the story.**

* * *

_"How is he?"_

_"Its a miracle, but I believe he will make it. StarClan must look kindly down on him."_

_"I think StarClan has more important things to do than look down on my son."_

_"_Our _son you mean. Don't forget the one who gave birth to him mouse-brain"_

_"Anyways, he seems to be slowly getting better. He isn't coughing as much, and more of his mouse is gone after I feed him."_

_"So can he come back to the nursery?"_

_"Not now, but soon. He isn't fully recovered."_

_"Well then can we stay in here? I haven't been able to curl around my third kit since he was born."_

_"Are you suggesting that I let two lumbering warriors into the medicine den on the brink of a war at night when our enemy is strongest?"_

_"That is exactly what my mate is suggesting."_

_"Then my answer is no."_

_"Mangy piece of fox-dung." _

_"Get out of my den."_

* * *

"What is this?" Larkkit snarled as Blotchkit turned away, referring to the carp he just served her.

"Its the meal you asked for" he answered, and after a pause he added the mandatory "master."

"I asked for a _plump_ carp" she hissed, throwing the limp body at his still turned back. "And _what_ did I tell you to do when speaking to me and Darkkit?"

"You told me I must show respect to my masters. I must respect them by facing and never making eye contact with them. The result of not following this rule is a mark against my performance." Blotchkit droned, dragging one of his many memorized rules out of his memory.

After returning to camp the day his punishment was given, his siblings had concocted a set of rules that Blotchkit had to follow, many of them embarrassing and shameful. Disgusted by his sibling's abuse of power, Blotchkit at first refused to abide to these rules. To his dismay though, Larkkit quickly thought up a solution disobedience. Whenever Blotchkit did not follow a rule, he gained a 'mark'. If he built up ten of these, Larkkit would make up a lie saying Blotchkit threatened them again, and his punishment would be extended.

"That is correct servant." Darkkit mewed, happily eating the trout Blotchkit fetched for him. "You already have nine, wouldn't want to get the tenth on your _last_ day would you?" he purred maliciously, unsheathing the tip of his claws as to intimidate his brother.

Blotchkit held back a snort at Darkkit's petty attempt to threaten him. Over the past two moons Blotchkit had grown faster than his siblings, and he now loomed over them. Even Larkkit has stopped threatening him physically, though her verbal attacks had not lessened a bit. To see Darkkit, who didn't even stand to his chin, try to frighten him with claws was more humorous than scary.

"Leave our sight!" Larkkit ordered, snatching up the carp she had thrown earlier. "My brother and I must get ready for the ceremony today."

Dipping his head even farther, Blotchkit shuffled out of the nursery and into camp. Outside, Songkit was waiting for him impatiently, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Finally you slug, I thought you'd never come out!" she said exasperatedly, bounding over to her brother.

"Sorry Songkit" he purred, nuzzling her "The Queen was not happy with the condition of her carp. Apparently they didn't listen the last time I told them to get really fat."

"Enough about the fish" Songkit purred "Today the elders said we can listen to a story! We're already late thanks to _you_, so lets get going!"

The two of them raced to the elders den, stumbling across camp as they tripped on the dead reeds littered about. Bursting into the stone den, Songkit and Blotchkit skidded to a halt and caught their breathe, searching for Pouncetail and Dapplenose in the dark area.

The elders den was very much unlike the rest of the camp. Instead of a warm, inviting feeling many of the other dens had, the elder's home was dank, dark, and cold. A constant draft came through the messily patched reed wall, and there were no nests on the ground. The old were forbidden to take the clan's resources, for they could not repay the clan with food and protection. A pile of bones and rotting fresh-kill was in the corner; the clans uneaten food left for the old. Sometimes Blotchkit felt bad for Pouncetail and Dapplenose, seeing even after working all their life for the clan, their retirement was more like a punishment than a payment. But the weak feelings were soon swept away when he reminded himself giving them moss and good food would just make the rest of the working clan weak.

"Pouncetail? Dapplenose?" Songkit whispered out quietly, unable to spot the two in the den. "Over here kits" a raspy voice answered, two pale colored eyes cutting through the darkness.

Carefully picking their way through the deserted hollow, Blotchkit and Songkit settled before the elders, anticipation coursing through their bodies.

"Ah hello kits. How nice..." Pouncetail started before trailing off into a murmur. As an effect of growing old, Pouncetail had formed a nasty habit of becoming quieter and quieter as he talked, eventually ending in a whisper that no one could hear. No one, but Dapplenose, who almost always finished his sentences for him. At first, Blotchkit must have thought Dapplenose was annoyed by her job, but he soon realized she was happy to have a purpose, even if it was just finishing an old cat's thoughts.

"-of you to join us" she said on cue, not even waiting for her friend to finish. "We were starting to think you forgot about our little story time"

"Of course not!" Blotchkit said happily "Larkkit and Darkkit held me back longer than expected, that's all"

"Yeah, you know how they get" Songkit added, referring to the stories she had told the elders about their siblings.

"Yes, nasty two..." Pouncetail muttered, grumbling off into the distance.

"your siblings are." Dapplenose said after a pause, shooting a venomous look at Pouncetail. Blotchkit smiled, knowing how Dapplenose had to censor Pouncetail often so she wouldn't 'contaminate' Songkit's and his mind.

"What story do you have for us today?" Songkit mewed, excitement evident in her voice.

"How about the creation of the Clans?" Dapplenose suggested, glancing to Pouncetail for agreement. The old tom nodded his head and launched into the tale.

"Once upon a time a long time ago, there was constant battle and deaths between rogues, every cat fighting for themselves. Back in the clan's old home, the forest, cat's fought in the territory that suited them best. In Riverclan rivers for water fighting, on the moors of Windclan for fast attacks, Shadowclan marshes and shadow's for dark, messy battles, and Thunderclan tree's and…." Pouncetail explained, pausing every once and a while to keep his voice level up.

"-and Thunderclan tree's and undergrowth for close combat. Soon all the cat's battles came to the Gathering place there, Fourtrees. Suddenly all the souls from those who died in the earlier battles appeared, telling the living ones to stop" Dapplenose continued, closing her eyes as if to remember the day.

Pouncetail jumped in and picked it up "They said that there was no pride and honor in fighting alone, and that the cats must unite, to make the clans. Those who preferred the moors would live in the hills. Those who preferred the water would live near them, and so on. All they needed was to choose a…."

"-a leader for each clan" Dapplenose meowed, not missing a beat "Suddenly, a cat named Shadow, the most notorious of all the cats who fought in the shadows and marshes, stood. 'I, Shadow, will lead one of these clans. It shall be called Shadowclan and we will live in the marshes and shadows. Then 3 more cats stood, named River, Wind, and Thunder. I think you can guess what clans they formed" Dapplenose purred.

"The end!" Pouncetail said loudly, making Songkit jump a little.

"That's it?" Blotchkit said, crest-fallen. "No adventure, no death scene?"

"No love triangle, no kit bearing?" Songkit added, a slight whine in her voice.

"We've spoiled these two..." Pouncetail purred quietly, chuckling at the joke he whispered

"with good stories" she finished, purring with him "Yes we have"

"Can we hear another? Please?" Songkit begged, looking up to the elders with big eyes.

"Yeah, can we _please_?" Blotchkit chimed in, widening his eyes to try and match his sister.

"Oh alright, how about-"

"What is going on in here?" a voice snarled behind the four.

Turning around, Blotchkit saw a silhouette of a ghostly figure, the cat's see-through pelt seemingly sucking away any near-by light.

_Mapleshade_ Blotchkit realized, recognizing the Dark Forest cat's tortoiseshell-and-white fur. Dipping his head to the warrior, Blotchkit nudged his sister to do the same.

"We were just listening to some old tales to past the time until our ceremony." Blotchkit meowed, keeping his head low as she walked up to the group.

"Stories are for Deadpelts and ThunderClan cats. They make you weak." Mapleshade snarled at them "Not that you could get much weaker." She added, swatting Songkit harshly over the head, making the small she-cat fall over in a squeal of pain.

"Hey! Don't hit her!" Blotchkit meowed, jumping over to his sister. He stood over her and arched his back, hissing at the large warrior. Dark Forest or not, _no one_ would hurt his sister without justified reasons.

Marpleshade sneered and unsheathed her claws, holding a paw in the air. "You're right, that was uncalled for. Besides she didn't do anything wrong. But _you_ on the other hand, you just spoke against a senior warrior. That calls for a punishment."

Before he could react, Mapleshade swiftly brought her claws across his face, barely missing his eyes and slicing his nose open. Screeching in pain, Blotchkit tumbled over from the power of her swipe, covering his cuts with stinging dirt as a plume of dust flew around him.

"Get up ThunderClan cat" she hissed, teeth bared "You have a ceremony to attend to." and with that she stalked out of the den, kicking dirt at Blotchkit for good measure.

"Oh dear Blotchkit, you poor poor baby." Dapplenose cried, rushing over to the kit. Pouncetail was still crouching with his head down, trembling from head to tail as if he was waiting for Mapleshade to attack him next. Songkit, still slightly dizzy from her own attack, hobbled over to Blotchkit with a weak smile on her face.

"You were so brave" she whispered, gently licking his wounds. "You didn't have to do that. She would have left us both alone."

"I couldn't let her punish you like that, you didn't do anything wrong" he murmured back, clenching his teeth to hold back whimpers of pain he wanted to emit.

"You're too hot-headed for your own good." she muttered

Blotchkit didn't reply and just let his sister tend to his wounds. They weren't allowed to go to Willowshine because it would use her valuable herbs that would be put to much better use on more serious wounds.

"I think your all better. We better hurry though, our ceremony could start at any minute." Songkit meowed, rising to her paws.

Slowly Blotchkit stood too, in no rush to face Larkkit and Darkkit with his new scars. Saying goodbye to Pouncetail and Dapplenose, the two kits entered into camp to see Hawkfrost exiting the leaders den and walking to the Highstone. Glancing to Songkit, Blotchkit raced to the middle of the clearing, joining a nicely groomed Larkkit and Darkkit.

"What happened to your face?" Darkkit sneered, turning his head to see Blotchkit's scars.

"Whatever happened, it an improvement." Larkkit laughed cruelly, not even looking towards her brother.

Rolling his eyes, Blotchkit sat next to the two and realized nervously how dirty and messy his pelt looked against their smooth fur. He could only smooth out his shoulder fur though before Hawkfrost's voice rang out through camp.

"Let all cats strong enough to kill their own enemy gather beneath the Highstone to hear what I have to say!"

As the clan gathered excitement finally started to creep into Blotchkit. _I can finally show Larkkit and Darkkit they aren't better than me! I can finally show Hawkfrost I am a loyal warrior! I can finally prove myself!_ he thought joyfully, straightening a little taller at the prospect.

"Cats of Riverclan, these kits have reached 6 moons, and they are ready to become apprentices. Until they get their warrior names, they shall be called Larkpaw, Darkpaw, Songpaw, and Blotchpaw"

_Who will be my mentor? I hope it's a Dark Forest warrior. I want to actually be trained._

"Songpaw, your mentor will be Shredtail, he is a strong Dark Forest warrior, and I expect that you will show respect to him"

_Poor Songpaw, she hates him and he hates her. But at least I don't get him._

"Darkpaw, your mentor will be the great Sparrowfeather of the Dark Forest, learn well from him."

_Frog-dung! I wanted Sparrowfeather. Oh well, maybe I'll get Hawkfrost!_

"Larkpaw, your mentor will be me. I have seen greatness in you and I want to be the one to bring it out of you"

_What!? Larkpaw should have gotten Mapleshade! She would have taught her some respect. But wait... that means I get..._

"And Blotchpaw, your mentor will be Mapleshade. She is a loyal, strong Dark Forest warrior that enforces respect and obedience. If anyone can teach you to be a tolerable warrior, Mapleshade can" Blotchpaw stood there in horror, his gaze slowly turning to Mapleshade.

There was dark satisfaction in her eyes

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**Taadaa. Hope you enjoyed :) Reviews are appreciated, even if its a simple "Nice." Until next chapter!**


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